Trans Siberian Orchestra Rocks Holiday Opera Live Posted: March 2013 | For Immediate Release
For the first time ever, Trans-Siberian Orchestra performed their acclaimed 2004 rock opera The Lost Christmas Eve live in its entirety. Written by founder Paul ONeill, it tells the uplifting story of redemption and salvation on an enchanting Christmas Eve in New York City. The orchestra takes listeners on a journey deep into their imaginations, from a run-down hotel, to an old toy store, a blues bar and a Gothic Cathedral. The tour, presented by the Hallmark Channel, ran through the end of last year with Clair Global providing exclusive live sound production.
TSO created two separate and complete productions in 2000 to allow the band to cover more ground and they've maintained that format ever since. In 2009, the two tour monitor engineers, Antonio Luna and Chris Hoffmann made the decision to go with the SD7s largely because they had maxed out their D5 consoles. In 2010, both outfits fully upgraded the FOH rigs similarly to a pair of mirrored DiGiCo SD7 systems (comprised of a console with SD-Racks at both FOH and monitor world). The DiGiCo SD7 has been on tour with TSO ever since.
It's interesting, explains current unit monitor engineer, Scott Fraser, that we basically built two identical shows systems for essentially two different shows. While the kits are the same, the way the SD7's are utilized between the two productions is uniquely different.
"In the big picture, having identical consoles for both really kept things simple and provided consistency, from a production and logistics standpoint," said Troy Clair, Clair Global president. "For the operators, it kept the workflow smooth and eliminated compatibility issues."
We started using the SD7 at FOH for the first spring 2010 Beethoven's Last Night tour after having used large analog consoles for the first 11 years, recalled Dave Wittman, FOH engineer for the original TSO production and currently on tour with one of the productions. It was the perfect time to make the switch since we needed a smaller footprint but more inputs as we went back to theatres for the spring tours. I went to Clair Global in Chicago to get some basic orientation with the console. At that time, Michi Tanikawa (current FOH engineer for the second production) was my tech. Once I got the layout to a point where I'd be comfortable, Michi did all the console programming. From then on, we were able to use the saved files from tour to tour with only minimal modifications.
Wittman worked with frontman O'Neill back in the late 70's on a short project. Nearly 17 years later, they hooked up again when Paul needed an engineer to mix the band Savatage's album Dead Winter Dead in 1995. Shortly thereafter, we started recording Paul's new project, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and within a year or two, Paul wanted to tour TSO and asked me to go out and mix the show. I explained that I had never done live sound before, but Paul encouraged me to give it a go. Well, here we are 14 years later and I'm having a blast! I've been working with Paul ever since, recording and mixing all of TSO's studio albums and a live show ever since.
In total, each TSO unit has approximately 65-80 inputs for drums, bass, two guitars, four keyboards, 12 vocal mics, eight live strings, and audience mics with another 15 inputs for spares and utility stuff. I probably haven't scratched the surface using all the features on the SD7 that I could, Wittman laughs. On the other hand, I try to keep things simple and the SD7 does everything we need. I have always had two or three outboard reverbs and a bunch of compressors. Now, having all this onboard is perfect. Flexibility is key with this console; I know it's there, and it more than meets my needs. Additionally, we record each show to Digital Performer and the simplicity of interfacing 80 channels via MADI with two cables and the ability to playback and refine your mix later is a tremendous help. Not to mention, the sonic quality is superb.
A self-professed analog guy who has worked with TSO for the past 5-6 years, Michihiro Michi Tanikawa happily and willingly concedes to the SD7 at FOH for the West Coast unit. I like analog consoles, but we can't bring them on tour, so that's why I stick with the SD7. It makes everything sound more analog with digital convenience. I had been using a D5 for a long time, which made it easy to start using the SD7the faders and layout is set up very much like an analog console unlike some of the other digital console's out there. I still like the analog console sound, but the SD7 always sounds accurate, every day on different gigs and takes up less space. Also, they are great for doing multiple recordings and virtual soundchecks.
I love the console's basic logistics and layout; it's very similar to the D5. And it sounds so great amazing! The SD7 has a more hi-fi' sound especially for TSO. And because our audience ranges from young children to adults, we keep the volume comfortable for everyone, while still being a powerful rock show. There are narration parts, too, that must sound clear so everybody can understand what is being said. It's also fun to change the EQ just a little bit and hear how it alters the sound drastically. The only outboard compression I'm using is a Smart C2 compressor to make it a little bit warmer and analog-sounding before I send it to the PA. The band loves the console and the production loves it too.
At monitor world, the configuration for each outfit is a mix of wedges and in-ears: 24 mixes of Sennheiser IEM (8 mixes of 2050 and 16 of G3), two stereo mixes of Clair CM 22 and two mixes of Clair SRM, with the wedges all powered and processed by Clair StakRac with Lab Gruppen PLM20000Q.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
29/05/2026
With InfoComm 2026 just weeks away, NDI is giving attendees plenty of reasons to...
29/05/2026
Reaffirming a partnership that has defined Canadian sports broadcasting since 19...
29/05/2026
Mobile/tablet is No. 2 device for watching TV, suggesting that the sports-production industry needs to take another look at the format
Ring Digital's Sprin...
29/05/2026
Berliner Ensemble, one of Berlin's five major theater companies, has expande...
29/05/2026
Solid State Logic will showcase its new compact, fly-away TCA Tour audio product...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, passed away last month on April 12 ...
29/05/2026
Paramount+ will be the English-language U.S. home for Barclays Women's Super...
29/05/2026
Further strengthening its virtualisation strategy to fully support broadcasters ...
29/05/2026
Swiss broadcaster Canal Alpha has deployed Harmonic's award-winning, software-based XOS Advanced Media Processor to modernize playout operations across cant...
29/05/2026
PTZOptics will showcase a new generation of intelligent video workflows at InfoComm 2026, June 17-19, Las Vegas. Visitors to booth N8227 will see how PTZOptics ...
29/05/2026
Arizona's Family has launched the Arizona's Family Sports (AZFS) streaming app, a new direct-to-consumer destination for live, local sports. The app is ...
29/05/2026
Starting in 2027, DAZN will be the exclusive home of The Canadian Football Leagu...
29/05/2026
Comcast Business has detailed the advanced network infrastructure it has deploye...
29/05/2026
In two-day event, leaders from academia and industry explored solutions to chall...
29/05/2026
The Basketball Tournament (TBT), now entering their 13th year of competition, ha...
29/05/2026
Roku has launched FOX One as a Premium Subscription on The Roku Channel in the U.S. Roku customers can now subscribe to FOX One using their Roku account for liv...
29/05/2026
In its sixth year, the broadcaster's coverage has become a global brand and ...
29/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent ratings news and is derived from press re...
29/05/2026
The days are getting longer, the temperatures are rising, and playlists are filling up for the season. With summer around the corner, Spotify's global edito...
29/05/2026
New retro-inspired MPC announced
There are few devices that have gained the status held by Akai Pro's MPC range, and in recent years, the company have s...
29/05/2026
Save up to 30 on acclaimed titles
Following a successful launch at Superbooth 2026, Bjooks have revealed that they will be continuing the Kickstarter campa...
29/05/2026
Binaural monitoring application improved
Genelec have just released an update that brings some powerful new features to their HRTF-based binaural headphone ...
29/05/2026
6 June 2026 at SAE Institute, London, UK
IMSTA FESTA 2026 is almost upon us, with some of the biggest names in pro-audio set to descend upon SAE Institute i...
29/05/2026
Gerald (Jerry) Pierce, a pioneering technologist who helped shape the digital transformation of the motion picture industry, died April 12, 2026, at his home in...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Comparing 5 AI Video Enhancers for Restoring Old Video Quality
Kate Luvis May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Digitizing VHS, MiniDV, and other legacy formats doe...
29/05/2026
Studio Hamburg Builds New Post Pipeline with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton May 29, 2026
0 Comments
Workflow replaces a patchwork of legacy tools...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/05/2026
At the Intersection of Music and Dance, an Epic Collaboration Boston Conservatory musicians and dancers found creative parallels in their recent performance o...
29/05/2026
Something fundamental has shifted in how people consume media. Audiences aren't abandoning television or radio content; they're just expanding how, wher...
29/05/2026
Youtube exclusive special drops today
Watch now
UKTV today announces another e...
29/05/2026
Back to All News
The Official Trailer of Physical 100 Italy, on Netflix From Se...
29/05/2026
At just 20 years old, Sean Melia from Summerhill Co. Meath has been revealed as the winner of Super Garden 2026. Sean is the youngest ever contestant and winner...
29/05/2026
Experimental HIV vaccine achieves a long-sought goal In a first for the field, all non-human primates given a new series of vaccines generated antibodies capabl...
28/05/2026
Thomsons Climate Crisis Toolkit is already being put to work, helping journalist...
28/05/2026
FOX Sports' MLB coverage dominated the night at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy ...
28/05/2026
One of the most memorable postseasons in baseball history would have had no memo...
28/05/2026
NBC's Sunday Night Football is among the most-decorated and most-watched pro...
28/05/2026
The 2026 Sports Emmys marked a watershed moment for Prime Video Sports. After bu...
Trans Siberian Orchestra Rocks Holiday Opera Live Posted: March 2013 | For Immediate Release 
